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Titan of Latin American Comedy, Mexico's Beloved 'Chespirito' Dead at 85

The slapstick comedy of Roberto Gomez Bolanos, known as "Chespirito," charmed fans from Spain to Argentina for over four decades.
Roberto Gomez Bolanos, Chompiras
In this undated photo released by the television network Televisa on Nov. 28, Mexican comedian Roberto Gomez Bolanos poses for a photo as his famous character Chompiras. According to Televisa, where he worked, the famed comedian died Friday. He was 85.AP, file

MEXICO CITY — Mexican actor and screenwriter Roberto Gomez Bolaños, one of Latin America's most beloved comedians, whose slapstick acts charmed fans from Spain to Argentina for over four decades, died on Friday at the age 85.

Broadcaster Televisa, for whom Gomez Bolaños worked for much of his career, said he died at home in the seaside resort of Cancun. Known as "Chespirito," a word play on 'Little Shakespeare' for his diminutive stature and his prolific scripts, Gomez Bolanos created some of the region's most enduring comic characters.

One such character, "El Chapulín Colorado" (The Red Grasshopper), a clumsy hero in a red overall and yellow trunks inspired Bumblebee Man, the Spanish-speaking character on 'The Simpsons.' The comedian stopped recording material in the 1980s, but his shows are still aired regularly today.

On Twitter, Mexican President Enrique Peña Nieto lamented the death of an "icon whose work transcended generations and borders." As a young man, Gomez Bolaños dreamed of being an engineer, and fell into comic acting by accident. He was writing show scripts for Televisa, and had to stand in when the actor playing one of the characters he had written did not show, he once told Reuters.

Coining catchphrases that made their way into the lexicon of many countries across Latin America, Chespirito's shows were exported to 90 countries and translated into dozens of languages, from Japanese to Portuguese. Chespirito, an avid soccer enthusiast, also made several movies and acted in a number of plays. His live shows filled stadiums. Despite his age, Chespirito kept in contact with his fans. In May 2011 he joined Twitter, becoming an instant hit. He had 6.61 million followers by the time of his death.

Image: File photo shows Mexican comedian Bolanos attending a news conference in Monterrey
Mexican comedian Roberto Gomez Bolanos attends a news conference in Monterrey in this September 10, 2011 file photo. The actor and screenwriter, one of Latin America's most beloved comedians, whose slapstick acts charmed fans from Spain to Argentina for over four decades, died on November 28, 2014 at the age 85.STRINGER/MEXICO / Reuters

— Reuters